Fluid turbine



June 26, 1956 .1. H. BONNER, JR 2,751,883

FLUID TURBINE Filed March 27, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 L- INVENTOR.

Jab/N 50MB Jie.

June 26, 1956 J. H. BONNER, JR 2,753,888

FLUID TURBINE Filed March 27, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

June 2%,1956 J, H. BONNER, JR

FLUID TURBINE .3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 2'7, 1953 INVENTOR. Jay/v Aflan/ans? United States Patent Ofice 2,751,888 Patented June 26, 1956FLUID TURBINE John H. Bonner, Jr., Wetumpka, Ala. Application March 27,1953, Serial No. 345,158

2 Claims. (Cl. 121-95) This invention relates to fluid turbines and moreparticularly to a vane type turbine having angularly spaced apart fluidchambers.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved fluidturbine which has no valves and has a minimum number of moving partsconsisting of a rotor and one or more vanes carried by the rotor; whichhas a fixed housing or stator of simple construction which may be liquidcooled, if desired; which has angularly spaced apart fluid chambers inwhich the pressure of the operating fluid is applied to therotor-carried vanes; and which is simple and durable in construction,economical to manufacture, and positive and effective in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a fluid turbine illustrative ofthe invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view on a somewhat enlarged scale on theline 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale on.the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the rotor device; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale onthe line 8-8 of Figure 6.

With continued reference to the drawings, the turbine comprises astator, generally indicated at 10, a rotor, generally indicated at 11,and vanes, as generally indicated at 12, pivotally mounted in the rotorand carried thereby.

The stator 10 includes a wear plate 14 which is illustrated as oftruncated conical shape and this wear plate has a bore 15 extendingcoaxially therethrough and a flat, base surface 16 of circular shape.The stator further includes a hollow housing 18 of hemispherical shapehaving its open side disposed against the base surface 16 of the wearplate and marginally secured to the wear plate by suitable means, suchas the bolts 19 extending through registering apertures in marginalannular flanges 20 and 21 on the wear plate 14 and the housing 18respectively. The housing 18 is provided at its side directly oppositethe wear plate 14 with a hollow boss 22 of cylindrical shape theinterior 23 of which is in axial alignment with the bore 15 extendingthrough the wear plate 14.

An anti-friction roller bearing 24 is mounted in a counterbore at theend of the bore 15 remote from the housing 18 and is secured in thecounterbore by an annular plate 25 secured to the corresponding end ofthe wear plate by suitable means, such as the stud bolts 26, and

of the overlying the outer end of the bearing 24. An anti-friction ballbearing 28 is disposed in a counterbore at the end of the bore 15adjacent the housing 18 and is secured in this counterbore by a flatlocking ring 29 secured in the counterbore at the outer side of the ballbearing. An antifriction roller bearing 30 is mounted in the boss 22 andis secured in the boss by an annular plate 31 secured to the outer endof the boss 22 by the stud bolts 32 and overlying the outer end of thebearing 30.

The rotor 11 includes shaft portions 34 and 35 disposed in longitudinalalignment with each other with the shaft portion 34 journaled in thebearings 24 and 28 carried by the Wear plate 14 and the shaft portion 35journaled in the bearing 30 carried by the boss 22 of the housing 18.The shaft portion 34 is reduced in diameter intermediate its length toprovide an annular shoulder 36 which bears against the inner end of theinner race of the roller bearing 24 and the shaft portion 35 hasadjacent its inner end an annular shoulder 37 which bears against theinner end of the inner race of the bearing 30. The engagement of theshoulders 36 and 37 with the inner ends of the corresponding rollerbearings holds the rotor 11 against longitudinal movement relative tothe stator 10 while permitting free rotation of the rotor in the stator.

The rotor 11 also includes a solid body 38 of hemispherical shapedisposed within the hemispherical b01187 ing 18 and between the shaftportions 34 and 35 to which i it is integrally joined. The body 38 fitsclosely in the interior of the housing 18 and is provided with radiallydisposed slots, as indicated at 40, of substantially triangular orsector shape extending from locations adjacent the axis of the rotor tothe hemispherical surface of the body 38 and opening to the flat surfaceof this body.

In the illustrated arrangement there are four of the slots 40 disposedat angular intervals of ninety degrees around the rotor body 38 but itis to be understood that this num-' ber may be increased or decreasedwithout in any affect ing the scope of the invention. 7 p p The vanes 12are disposed one in each of the slots 40 and these sector-shaped vanesare pivotally connected to the rotor body 38 at the inner ends of thecorresponding slots 40 by pivot pins, as indicated at 41, extendingthrough registering apertures provided in the rotor body 38 and in thecorresponding vanes. In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 6 and 8the rotor body 38 is provided in the flat surface 38' thereof withgrooves 42 disposed substantially tangentially of the circumference ofthe shaft portion 34 each of which extends from a location adjacent oneside of a corresponding slot to the outer edge of the; flat surface 38to admit a drill bit for drilling correspond-" ing pin-receiving holesfrom the inner end of the grooves through the portions of the body 38 atthe opposite sides of the inner portion of each slot 40. In insertingthe pins,-

until they are disposed in the corresponding pin holes and vaneapertures. After the pins have been properly located,

elongated keys 43 are placed one in each of the grooves 42. Each of thekeys has a length substantially equal to the length of the correspondinggroove 42 and bears at its inner end against the adjacent end of thecorresponding pin and has its outer surface flush with the flat surfaceof the body 38. A shouldered screw 43' extends through an aperture ineach key 43 and is threaded into a tapped hole in the body 38 in theinner surface of the corresponding groove 42 to retain the associatedkey in place in the corresponding groove.

Recesses, as indicated at 44, are provided in the rotor 1 body 38 oneadjacent each slot 40 at the outer end of the slot and at the sidethereof adjacent the shaft portion 35- and compression springs, asindicated at 45, are disposed" pressions aresof sector shape and'extendfrom the counterborein which the bearing retaining ring 29 is receivedto a location on the surface 16 .in alignment with the inner,"hemispherical surface of the housing 13. These depressions increaseuniformly in depth from the outer edge of the retaining ring 2? to theinner surface of the housing -18 and=eacli depression is provided at itsopposite, -radial side with inclined portions .or ramps, as indicated at50 and 51. In the-arrangernent illustrated there are two depressions 48of quadrant shape diametrically-opposed in thecircular base'surface 16of the wear plate and the quadrant shaped portions 52 of the wear platebase surface between the depression 48 are flat and in aplaneperpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor 11. The flat surfaceof the hemispherical rotor body 38 is also in a plane perpendicular tothe rotational axis of the rotor and this flat surface of the body 38bears on.

thefiat portions 52 of the base surface ofthe wear plate.

As the rotor 11 rotates in the'stator the edges of the vanes 12 sweeparound the base surface 16 of the wear plates and the portions of thevanes adjacent the base surface .of the wear plate move into and out ofthe depressions '48. Since surfaces of the depressions 48 are spacedfrom the fiat surface of the rotor body 38, these depressions providefluid chambers across which the corresponding portions of the vanesextend so that when the portions of these chambers between thecorresponding 'vanejs and corresponding sides of the depressions arefilled with fluid under pressure, the vanes will be forced to.moveacross the depressions in a circumferential direction and turn the rotor11 in the stator 10. As there,

are two depressions providing chambers each of which extends over anangle of approximately ninety degrees, and 'fourvanes which movesuccessively across these .de pressions, the torque applied .by thefluid under pressure to the rotor 11 will be substantially constantresulting in a substantially constant turning force rather thansuccessive torque impulses. The torque will also be delivered entirelyby the pressure of the fluid and will beproportional. to the fluidpressure times the areas of the portions of the vanes exposed in thechambers provided by the sector-shaped depressions48.

The wear plate 14 ,is provided with inlet passages 54 and 55V extendingtherethrough and terminating in inlet ports-5.6 and .57 disposed atcorresponding sides of the sector-shaped depressions 48 and inletconduits 58 .and 59 are connected to the wear plate in communicationwithathepassages 54and 55. The wear plate ,is .also pro- 'vided withexhaust passages terminating at their inner endsinexhaust ports, asindicated at 60 and61, disposed at the .oppositesides ofthe SCCtOPShaPeddepressions and exhaust iconduits 62 and Y63 are connected to the .wear

plateincommunication respectively with theexhaust passages leadingfromthe exhaust ports 60 and 61.

Ihe stator housing 18 is shown as provided with fluid passages 64therein through which cooling .fluid' can be forced \if.it:is foundnecessary or desirable to cool the turbine by .thismeans.

a constantflowof pressure fluid under pressure into the fluidchambers'through the fluid inlet conduits 58 and59 and the fluidpassages .54 and-55 in .the wear plate, and a constant exhaust of fluidfrom these tfluid chambers through'the exhaust ports 60 and61,-thetc.orresponding exhaust passages and-the exhaust conduits-62 and63, a substantially constant rotationwill :be impartedtothe-turbine'rotor 1 1.

. 4 shaft portions 34 or outside of the turbine stator 10.

The inventionmaybe embodied'in other specific zforms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which \come within the meaning The stator10 of the turbine may be mounted-on any suitable gfixed support and .aturbine-driven element of and range of equivalency of the claims are,therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fluid turbine, astator comprising a solid wear plate of"truncated conical shape and having *a bore extending coaxiallytherethrough, .there tbeing a counterbore extending inwardly from thesmaller end of said wear plate and terminating at a point spaced fromsaid smaller end, the terminating point of said counterbore forming ashoulder, a hollow housing in the form .of a half sphere arranged sothat its open side is disposed against the larger end of saidwear'plate, means detachably securing the open side of said housing tothe larger end of said wear plate, a hollow cylindrical boss projectingfrom the closed side of said housing and in axial alignment with saidbore, a rotor including a pairof shaft portions arranged'in longitudinalalignment with a hemispherical solid body between said shaft portionsposi tioned so that the hemispherical body is wholly within said housingwith one of the shaft portions extending through said boss and the otherof said shaft portions abutting said shoulder, said other shaft portionhavinga part of lesser diameter than that of said shaft, said partextending through said counterbore, means in said counterbore rotatablysupporting said reduced ,part .of said other shaft portion, means insaid boss rotatahly sup porting said one shaft portion, the solidhemispherical body of said rotor having longitudinal slots, longitudinalvanes in said slots, said vanes having .arcuate edges conforming to andrunning close to the closed side of .the

housing and flat edges .slidably bearingagainst the larger end of thewear plate, and means pivotally securing the vanes in place in the slotsfor movement toward. and away from said larger end of the wear plate.

2. In a fluid turbine, .a stator comprising a solid wear plate oftruncated conical shape and having a bore extending coaxiallytherethrough, .there being .a counterbore extending inwardly from thesmaller end of said wear plate and terminating ata pointspaced from saidsmaller end, the terminating point of said counterbore forming ashoulder, a hollow housing in the form of a'half-sphere arranged so thatits :open .side is disposed zagainst the largerend of said wear plate,means detachably securing theopen side of said housing to the larger endof said wear plate, a hollow cylindrical boss projectingfrom the closed.side .of said housing and "in axial alignment with said bore, a rotorincluding a pair of shaft portions..arranged in longitudinal alignmentwith a hemispherical solid body :between said shaft portions positionedso that the hemispherical body is wholly within said housing with one ofthe shaft portions extending through-saidhossand the other of said shaftportions abutting said shoulder,

saidothershaft portion having a part of :lesser diameter than that ofsaid shaft, said part aextendingrthrough said counterbore, means in saidcounterbore rotatably sup--v porting said reduced part of said otherIshaft portion, l

of the wear plate, and means :pivotally securing the vanes in place inthe slots for movement toward and away from said larger :end of the wearplate, said vanes being triangular and said arcuate' and :flat edges"being in intersecting relation to 'each other, said vanes iihav ing 5third edges facing the longitudinal axis of the rotor, and spring meanscompressed between said third edges and portions of the rotor serving toyieldably urge said flat edges into engagement with the larger end ofthe wear plate. 5

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS167,146 Winkler Aug. 24, 1875 10 6 Shafer Jan. 29, 1901 Rathjen et a1Feb. 14, 1905 Sadorus May 9, 1905 Kelly June 25, 1907 White Aug. 30,1921 Raugstad May 9, 1922 Hamren Apr. 20, 1943 Thomas Apr. 17 1951Bridenbaugh Sept. 11, 1951

